60 x 100yd

Friday evening I went to the pool with aspirations of doing 100 x 100 yards. I wasn’t confident, rightly so, and went at it with a mentality that I would do as many 100s and my sanity would allow.

It wasn’t my sanity that held me back, it was my lack of swimming endurance that did. After the 40th 100 my feet and legs kept violently cramping. I’d hang onto the edge of the pool until the cramp went away, I’d get a few more 100s in, and something would cramp again. I tried using the pull-buoy and even with that I was cramping.

Cheers from a small following on Instagram watching my progress made me want to keep going. When I got to 50 I didn’t want to stop at “just” half way there. I kept going. My left arm had a weird twinge I’ve never felt before. My 100 yard splits were dipping into the 2 minutes per 100 zone. I was slowing down.

I called it a night at 6000, humbled and happy that I tried. I’m the lazy swimmer who swims 2000 yards a week, even during Ironman training. On a whim, I swam three times my normal distance, making it my longest swim ever. This is what I love about triathlon, there’s always a place to endure and get stronger for next time.

That’s also a huge reason I love my fat tire bike. Every time I go ride trails I am challenged! John and I tried some new-to-us trails on Christmas Day, meaning the trails were all ours! During the first loop both of us kept sliding off of the trail, unstable and lacking confidence. On the second loop both of us were noticeably more confident and handled some of the sharp turns better. Words can’t describe the joy this bike gives me. It was my kind of joy for Christmas Day.